The furrow of her brow gave away her confusion. “Okay, but…may I ask why?”
“I want to let them meet you, and I’ll need you along to take care of Sasha. My parents are very particular about who is worthy of being around their precious little granddaughter.”
“As they should be. But I’m willing to come to breakfast. Thanks for the invite.”
“Thanks for accepting.”
Feeling the awareness of her scrutiny, he shifted a bit on the wooden step beneath him. “What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?”
She inhaled. “Excuse me if this comes across as prying, Maxwell. But I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me.”
“It’s nothing, really. It’s just that…meeting all of them at one time might be a little intense.”
“How so?”
“Let’s just say they have a certain perception of what parenthood should look like, one that doesn’t involve hired help.”
She swallowed but kept her expression as calm as she could. “So can you tell me something about your family? You haven’t really said much about them.”
Over the last couple of days, he’d only mentioned his mother in passing. He’d been so caught up in trying to figure out what Sasha needed, he hadn’t really thought much about how his family played into his new situation. “Let’s see. My parents are Humphrey and Delphinia. Dad was a civil engineer, and Mom worked as a university librarian. They’re both retired now, and when they’re not engaged in their various hobbies and travel, they have plenty of time for grandparent duties.”
Yvonne smiled. “What about siblings?”
“I have two younger sisters. Kelsey, my middle sister, paints. My baby sister, Alexis, is a fashion designer. I guess we’re an artsy bunch.”
“Sounds that way.” Yvonne chuckled. “I’ll be glad to meet them all.” She stood, then stretched. “Is there anything else you need from me tonight?”
“No. Can you meet me here around seven-thirty in the morning? They don’t live very far from here.”
“I’ll be here.” She took the last three steps to the bottom of the staircase.
As she crossed the foyer, Maxwell couldn’t help watching the way she walked. She was grace personified, and he found it difficult to tear his eyes away from the subtle sway of her hips as she walked.
She went to the coatrack, pulled down her coat, and shrugged into it. Pulling down her shoulder bag next, she moved toward the door. “Goodnight, Maxwell.”
He hopped up, strode in her direction. “Let me walk you to your car.” He opened the door, shivering at the blast of cold air. He gestured, and she walked out ahead of him.
Once she was safely inside her sedan, he closed her in. “I’ll see you in the morning, Yvonne.”
She smiled. “See you then.”
He stepped back, watching as she backed down his driveway and pulled out into the road. He thought about tomorrow and what it might bring. Whatever happened, he hoped his family understood why he’d hired someone to help out with Sasha. He knew having his daughter full time would be a major change, and he wanted to make sure it would be a change for the better.
He stood there in the driveway for a few moments more until the chill sent him running back into the house.
* * *
Yvonne looked out the passenger side window of Maxwell’s SUV, her eyes wide. As he pulled up in front of his parents’ house, she couldn’t help being impressed. Built mostly of stone and nestled on a hill in a gated community, the large home resembled a castle. His house had been beautiful and far too large for a single man, in her opinion. But this home dwarfed even Maxwell’s spacious digs.
He pulled the SUV up to the curb, cutting the engine. He climbed out, and as she opened her door, she found him waiting for her with his hand outstretched. With a smile, she accepted his hand and let him help her down. He shut the door behind her, and she opened the back door to retrieve Sasha.
Leaning in, she looked at Sasha’s cherubic little face. The baby slept soundly, with her little fingers curled around the edge of her blanket. “No wonder she was so quiet. Look at her.”
Maxwell lifted the car seat from its base and looked inside. A smile spread over his handsome face. “She’s a cutie, isn’t she?” He closed the door, and they began walking toward the front door.
Yvonne patted him on the shoulder. “You get to take at least some of the credit for that. She’s got your eyes.”
His smile brightened, and knowing she’d contributed to that made her heart flutter in her chest.
Four wide brick steps led to the bright-red front door. Maxwell carried the car seat, and Yvonne had the baby’s bag slung over her shoulder. When they reached the door, Yvonne looked to her employer and awaited his next move.
He shifted around a bit. “The door is usually unlocked when we have a family breakfast. Makes things faster.”
Yvonne drew her brown trench coat closer around her body and adjusted the hat covering Sasha’s head. She’d bundled the baby up well, leaving only her face visible. “Is there a reason we’re standing out here in the cold?”
He sighed, his gaze retreating. “I’m nervous. I don’t know what to expect.”
Yvonne could understand his concern. But she didn’t want to stay outside any longer than she had to. The temperature had climbed into the midfifties, but it was still a bit chilly for her tastes. Aside from that, she worried about Sasha being out in the elements for too long. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. I stand by my qualifications, and I don’t mind answering any questions they might have for me.” Yvonne didn’t tell him that she’d already started to become attached to Sasha. No use adding another layer to an already complex situation.
“You’re probably right.” He paused.
Yvonne touched his shoulder again. In the short time she’d been working for Maxwell, she’d picked up on some of his tendencies. He exuded such confidence when he spoke of his work, but that confidence seemed to falter when it came to Sasha and related matters. “Everything will be fine. One way or another, things will turn out as they are meant to be.”
“Do you really believe that?”
She nodded. “I do.” Her life hadn’t always been perfect, but she’d seen enough and gone through enough to know that things eventually settled out. Maybe happily ever after doesn’t exist. But if I’m going to keep my sanity, I have to believe it does.
He drew a deep breath, then turned the gold knob. As he’d predicted, the door was unlocked, and he pushed it open. A burst of warm air greeted them as they stepped inside.
Yvonne glanced around the entryway, doing her best not to gawk like a country mouse in the big city. The castle feel she’d noted outside continued in the home’s interior. The gleaming floors beneath her feet were probably marble. Their footsteps echoed through the space, bouncing off the walls that boasted textured wallpaper in a soft shade of gold. Landscapes in gilded frames, vases with tall, elegant floral arrangements, and a collection of ceramic elephants decorated the space. A grand, curved staircase centered the space, and there were two doors on either side of it.
Maxwell walked toward the closest door on their right, which already stood open. She followed him into an immaculate sitting room. The furnishings were contemporary and included a sofa and two love seats in steel gray. The items were set up in a U formation, with the sofa against the wall and the two love seats facing each other. A large, patterned area rug covered the hardwood floor beneath the furniture grouping. Black bookcases lined one entire wall.
“Nobody’s in here,” Maxwell commented as they moved into the room. His tone conveyed relief.
Yvonne looked his way. “What should I do?”
“Have a seat.” He gestured toward one of the love seats. “Mom and Dad are probably in the kitchen.”
She sat down, and he parked the car seat on the cushion next to
her before slipping from the room. After he left, she looked inside at the still sleeping baby. Sasha was the picture of innocence, her small lips bowing in time with her breaths as she dreamed. Yvonne removed the child’s hat, thinking she might be overheating now that they were inside. Unable to refrain, she stroked her hand over Sasha’s crown of soft curls and sighed.
She didn’t know if she wanted her own children, though she enjoyed taking care of other people’s little ones. Between her work and the time she put in caring for her parents, she didn’t know if she wanted to come home to yet another person who depended on her. Despite her uncertainty about motherhood, she saw children as a blessing.
She only hoped Maxwell understood what a gift this child was. Right now, Sasha’s presence might be upending his orderly life, but as the baby got older, Yvonne hoped he’d come to see how his life had changed for the better.
She heard talking then, their raised voices indicating that a family discussion was underway. She couldn’t make out the words and didn’t try, because it wasn’t her business. She’d come here to do her job and didn’t have any plans on interfering in Maxwell’s family matters.
Yvonne looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps and saw Maxwell reenter the room with his parents in tow. His mother, short and dressed in a lavender linen pantsuit, was all smiles. His tall, salt-and-pepper-haired father, clad in khakis and a green polo, wore a much more serious expression. As they approached the love seat, Yvonne stood.
The smiling woman stepped forward first. “My, aren’t you lovely. And you are…”
Maxwell cut in. “Sorry, Mom. This is Yvonne, my nanny.”
She bristled a bit at the word nanny but recovered right away. “I’m Delphinia Devers.” She shook hands with Yvonne. “Welcome to our home, dear.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Devers. I’m glad to meet you.” Yvonne closed her mouth quickly after the pleasantry because she had no idea what would come next.
“I’m Humphrey Devers.” On the heels of the rather brusque announcement, Humphrey stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise, sir.” Yvonne shook his hand, but sensing his ire, she kept the contact brief.
“Please excuse my husband.” Delphinia slid into the seat Yvonne had occupied, peering into the car seat. “He’s a little…shall we say…shocked right now. I’m sure he’ll come around.”
The older man harrumphed as he came over and stood near his wife. “Don’t worry, dear. I’m not going to make this innocent woman suffer for our son’s foolhardy ways.”
Yvonne’s eyes swung to Maxwell’s face, just in time to see his lips tighten. Despite his obvious frustration, Maxwell didn’t respond to his father’s dig.
“Humphrey, look at our grandbaby.” Delphinia clasped her hands together as she took in Sasha’s sleeping face. “She’s a beauty, isn’t she?”
The tight set of the older man’s face seemed to relax as he looked the baby over. “You’re right, Del. She’s a pretty little thing.”
Maxwell remained on the other side of the room but seemed to relax a bit.
Watching the scene unfold before her, Yvonne felt at a loss for what to do or say. She wanted to somehow break the tension she sensed between Maxwell and his parents. “Well, Mr. and Mrs. Devers, your granddaughter is one of the most delightful babies I’ve ever worked with. She’s very happy and hardly ever fusses.”
Delphinia sounded pleased. “Wonderful. Well-behaved already, I see.”
“Unlike her father,” Humphrey quipped.
Maxwell rolled his eyes. “Sorry to disappoint you by doing what’s best for your grandchild, Dad.”
Humphrey stared in his son’s direction, eyes flashing. “You listen here! I’ll—”
“Hush up, both of you. You’ll wake the baby!” Delphinia’s harsh whisper put her men on notice that she wasn’t having any of it. She grasped her husband’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Darling, take a chill pill. Stop sniping at the boy and just enjoy our little angel.”
“I’m going up front to wait for Lex and Kelsey.” Maxwell strode from the room.
Left alone with Sasha and her newly minted grandparents, Yvonne stayed behind the love seat. She left a little distance between herself and them so they could get acquainted. When Sasha started to stir, then released a small cry, Yvonne jumped into action. “Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Devers. Duty calls.”
As the older couple moved aside, Yvonne unfastened the wriggling, fussing Sasha from the restraints and lifted her to her shoulder. Patting the baby’s bottom, both to soothe her and to determine if she needed a diaper change, Yvonne felt the telltale swelling in the diaper. “Looks like our little princess needs a change. Where can I take her?”
“I’ll show you.” Delphinia started toward the door to the foyer, gesturing for Yvonne to follow her.
Grabbing up the diaper bag, Yvonne trailed behind the lady of the house.
They climbed the grand staircase and took a left turn on the landing. Delphinia swung open the door to a bedroom. “You can spread your changing pad out on the bed.” She stepped inside the room but moved back to allow Yvonne access.
“Thank you.” Yvonne carried Sasha to the bed and fiddled around with the baby’s gear while still holding her.
“What on earth are you doing?” Delphinia’s expression conveyed her confusion.
“I don’t want to get your bedspread wet.” The floral bedspread looked expensive, as did most things inside the Deverses’ little castle. She rifled around in the bag for the portable changing pad she kept inside, which would protect the surface from any soils.
“That’s very considerate. Here, let me hold her while you get your supplies out.” Delphinia held out her arms. “I keep telling my husband that Sasha ought to have her own room here. He claims she’s not here often enough and that she’s too young.”
Yvonne placed Sasha gently against her grandmother’s chest. “Thank you.”
Cradling the baby and looking down into her face, Delphinia looked as serene as a woman could look. “No, thank you. I relish every chance I get to hold my granddaughter.” She looked into Sasha’s eyes. “We’re just gonna ignore Grandpa and fix you up a room anyway, aren’t we, sugar?”
Yvonne smiled as she went about her work.
A few minutes later, the two women descended the staircase with a beaming Delphinia carrying her clean, dry grandchild. And when they reentered the sitting room, a surprise awaited.
Yvonne gulped when she saw the two women who’d joined their merry gathering.
Maxwell’s sisters. Sasha’s aunts.
Yvonne followed Delphinia into the room and offered smiles to the two women. She soon learned that the curvy, shorter woman was the younger sister, Alexis, and the taller woman with the close-cropped hair was the middle sister, Kelsey. “It’s nice to meet you both.”
Seeing them all assembled, Yvonne took in the sight of her charge’s paternal relatives. Alexis resembled their mother, while Kelsey looked more like their father. Maxwell combined his mother’s eyes and skin tone with his father’s height.
“So,” Alexis asked, “when’s the wedding?”
Yvonne froze.
Chapter 6
Maxwell stared at Alexis for a moment, wondering what the hell his baby sister was about. “Lex, are you high? I just told you, not five minutes ago, that Yvonne was my nanny.”
Alexis giggled. “I know, Bro. I’m just kidding. But you should see the expressions on your faces!”
Maxwell rolled his eyes. “You’re a regular comedian, Lex.” He glanced at Yvonne and saw that she seemed to have recovered from her shock.
Seated on the love seat with the baby in her lap, Delphinia offered, “You two are an absolute mess.” She didn’t bother looking up from Sasha’s tiny face. The baby smiled, laying on the cuteness, and her grandmother seemed to enjoy every second. Maxwe
ll sensed that his mother would be spoiling the baby in no time, but he had better sense than to try and stop her.
Humphrey stood from his seat on the sofa. “Well, I don’t see anything funny at all.”
Kelsey, stretched out on the love seat opposite where her mother sat, looked toward him. “Dad. Remember what Dr. Morris said about your blood pressure.”
“Hush, Kelsey.” Humphrey turned his flashing eyes back on his son. “Maxwell, we need to talk. Come to my study.”
Maxwell felt the anger rolling off his father, even from a distance. He had no desire to hash this out with him, at least not now. “Dad, couldn’t this wait…”
The old man strode right past him. “Now, Maxwell.”
Maxwell groaned in his father’s wake. He’d known this reaction was possible, but the reality of it still seemed jarring. A quick look around the room let him see the five sets of female eyes trained on him. Even his daughter, resting comfortably against her aunt Kelsey’s shoulder, was looking at him.
With a sigh, he trudged out of the room and across the entryway, where he entered the open door of his father’s study. Inside the room, he found his father seated in one of his brown leather armchairs, facing the window. Humphrey’s gaze seemed focused on something outside.
Maxwell took a seat in the matching chair next to it, settling in for the lecture of the century.
After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Humphrey spoke. “This isn’t about my granddaughter. She’s beautiful, Son.”
“That’s good to know, Dad.” Maxwell’s eyes swept over the familiar surroundings of the room. As a kid, he’d only ever been called into his father’s study when he was in trouble. That had changed over the years as he’d grown into a man and his relationship with his father had evolved. Still, despite all the hands of poker and casual conversations he’d had with his father here for the last twenty years, he couldn’t shake the memories of coming here as a boy to be chastised.
“However, I’m extremely disappointed in your actions in this. You’ve shown irresponsibility and a general lack of commitment in hiring a nanny, Maxwell.”
Never Let Me Go Page 6